Reality Check

CNN posted a very scary article this morning that said if the current obesity trends in our country continue, one in three adults will have Diabetes by the year 2050.  That's 33% of all Americans having a disease that is (for the most part) avoidable through proper eating and exercise.  How scary is that?  (click here for the full CNN article).

I had a breakthrough success this week that made me remember the BIGGEST thing you need to know to lose weight.....losing weight is 100% mental because you are always given a choice.  You can choose to eat healthier, you can choose to workout, you can choose when you go to bed and how much sleep you are going to get, you can choose to take some time for yourself, you can choose to live life to the fullest, and you can choose whether or not you live your life regretting each day or looking forward to it!

Just like any decision in life, choosing the "right" decision for yourself is not easy. Picture yourself sitting behind your desk around 2:30 on a Wednesday afternoon.  It's gloomy outside, and that mid-afternoon craving begins.  You know there is a candy bowl sitting at the front desk of your office (yes, the candy bowl in my office tortures me daily) for the ENTIRE month of October.  So you think (or sometimes don't even think) about that piece of chocolate....

Now you have a choice to make.....If that piece of chocolate will truly make you feel better, and help you because you are not depriving yourself, go for it.  However, if you are eating that piece of chocolate out of habit, frustration, or stress, perhaps you can make a better decision than eating it like going for a walk to get a glass of water

Here's the secret though.....

You DON'T need to be perfect every time to be successful. We all indulge once in a while, and that's okay.  Not only is it okay, but it's preferable.  Perfection does not equal success.  Hard work, determination, motivation, and the right decision 95-99% of the times equals success.  You always have a decision make, and just keep this in mind whenever that candy bar keeps calling your name.

So, what was my breakthrough?  This past weekend was my Alumni reunion from college, which consisted of AWESOME parties with great friends, alcohol, and food that's bad for you.  Before this weekend, I had resigned myself to the fact that I will be up this week.  I'm ALWAYS up in weight the week after my friends are in town.  That's how my body works.....I go crazy while they are here, throw everything away, and gain back more of those pounds that I worked soooo hard to get off.  Since it always happens that way, that's what was supposed to happen this year......but, it didn't.

I made a choice.  I decided that I would indulge on certain things....for example, I wasn't going to limit myself to how many beers I drank at the party.  Instead, I made sure to watch what I was eating throughout the rest of the day to compensate.  My friends and I went for a mid-afternoon walk to enjoy the beautiful weather outside.  I also split a garbage plate (I have a blog post about this gluttonous dish coming soon) with my friend at 4:30 a.m.  Not only did we split it, but we didn't even finish it!!!

What was the result of my choice to be healthier this weekend?  I lost 0.4 this week.  YES!  DOWN 0.4.  I couldn't believe the scale when I weighed in. This was the week I knew I was going to be up.  No matter how hard I tried, the number on that scale was going to be up.....but my choices said otherwise.

The point is, we always have a choice to make.  Choose wisely *most* of the time, and you will be successful plain and simple.  Don't become part of that statistic with the obesity rate.  You have a choice now, so get on with it.

By the way, as an aside.....I have 6 more pounds to lose to be at 50 pound weight loss on weight watchers! Stay posted to see when I reach that!

Losing weight 101: It's easy.....

I want to let you all in on a little secret that I heard the other day: Losing weight is easy.....didn't you know that? (Just in case this isn't coming across correctly....yes, I'm being sarcastic)

I want to change this saying... losing weight is easy if your ready and willing to put in the time and effort, determination to change your mindset, and most importantly changing your habits. Sounds easy, right?

Losing weight is not easy, but it is possible.  I've learned that first hand over the years (yes, I've been a weight watcher member for nearly 4 years, and am well on my way to goal...).  What does it take? For me lately, it took months of frustration and working my ass off (literally) to not get results on the scale.  Ever since this summer finished, I've been working out hard....really hard.....with my trainer and by myself, and I was not really seeing results on the scale.  That all changed this past week....

WHAT CHANGED?
I've been working out these past 6 weeks the hardest I've ever worked out.  I can feel myself getting stronger, and I am starting to see results in my clothes.  But why was all of this effort not showing up on the scale? Easy: it was the food I was eating.  I was eating within my weight watchers points *most* days, although there were 3-4 day stretches where I wasn't tracking.  THREE to FOUR days of NOT tracking...out of 7.  That means that I only know I was within my points 42-57% of the time....not good enough.  I went back to tracking.  Nobody, including myself likes it, but it works. Plain and simple.

Also, protein has become my best friend.  Simply put, I was eating too many useless points of empty carbs.  They are the thing of the past.  My snacks have turned into the following (in order from high protein, low carb to higher carb, lower protein):

cottage cheese (my go to)
cheese sticks
protein shakes with milk
yogurt with peanuts (an amazing combination that I highly recommend)
beef jerky
apples
bananas
pumpkin seeds (yes, they have carbs, but a little fills me a lot.....)

I have not cut out carbs completely.  I just try to focus on protein first, and then if I have a little carbs later, its okay.....

THE RESULT?

DOWN 4 pounds this week (and I look good)! Since I went back to weight watchers after taking the month of August off (traveling around the world....only gaining 5 pounds), I have lost every week.  I know this seems like success,  but I wasn't losing enough for how hard I was working out.  From August 21 to Sept 30, I lost 1.8 pounds TOTAL.....over a month.  Not good enough.

This week, I tracked EVERYDAY (including my alcohol on the weekend), held myself accountable, went to the gym, and got results. I'm proud to say I'm finally back comfortably in the 230s, and well on my way to reaching my 20 pound weight loss goal by Christmas (might even get there by thanksgiving!)

MORAL OF THE STORY?
See above....losing weight is easy if your ready and willing to put in the time and effort, determination to change your mindset, and most importantly changing your habits.

If you think you're doing everything you need to, but not getting the results you want, check yourself.  As my amazing WW leader, Angela, often says, "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten."  If you're not getting the results you want, change something and see if it works. I tried it, and it is definitely working for me.

OTHER BIG NEWS
I was able to get 15 of my co-workers to join weight watchers with me!!! What does this mean?  I have support around me ALL DAY (and my leader comes to the office, which is much more convenient).

This past week, EVERY SINGLE PERSON LOST (GO KSLN WWs!!!)! 16 people -- all down on the scale. Talk about motivation! I'm excited to see what we all look like at the firm holiday party in January.  It's gonna be quite a sight!

Take care for now.  I will try to post a little more frequently.  Thanks for reading!

It's a new day....

Hello all.  I know I have not been great with my updates this past month. The last stretch for law school got the best of me, and unfortunately it took time away from keeping up with the blog. I will update you with my weight when I weigh-in on Friday, but I can tell you that I haven't lost anything over the past month, but I also haven't gained either....

It's a new day...

I officially finished law school last Friday. This occasion is truly momentous for me, and culminates 3 years of hard work and some fun thrown in there too. Before I enter the real world (as a soon to be attorney), I have this final summer to do three things:
1) STUDY for the bar exam;
2) Setup a better WORKOUT ROUTINE;
3) LIVE a HEALTHY lifestyle.

That's it.  Nothing more, and importantly, nothing less.  I've drifted from my routine. I've drifted from my goals, and it's time to start new.

It was a beautiful day today, and I was able to take advantage of it by getting outside and running. I am proud to say that I ran slightly more than a 5K (I ran a total of 3.3 miles) in 41 minutes!!! This is a great point for me to be at since I have my 5K run coming up on June 12.  My goal is to run that in under 35 minutes.

I have a lot of blog posts that I have been wanting to put up, and I will be getting to them soon.

It's time to start anew.  Thank you all for your support, and get ready because the second half of this year is going to be even more exciting than the first!!!!

New Activity Challenge!

Each week, I am committed to posting my successes and failures for the week, as well as weekly goals I would like to achieve (see this weeks post tomorrow after my weigh-in). I have to admit that these "mini" goals that I set for myself each week have really driven my success in these past few weeks. Tonight was my "last chance workout" (those of you that watch Biggest Loser know what I'm talking about)....it's the last workout I have to put it all on the floor and work my butt off before I weigh-in in the morning. It's not really a time to make-up for my slip-ups for the week, but it is a chance for me to really get a good solid workout and make sure my body sweats away everything it can before I weigh-in. Tonight I had my best one yet with my interval cardio workout.....

I have been using the treadmill more and more recently because deep down I think know I want to be a runner. The treadmill, as some of you may know, is one of my life's nemeses because it KILLS me every time (at least that's what I thought).  However, since using the treadmill these past three weeks as my main cardio routine (aside from my new spinning class, which I will be blogging about soon), I have really improved with my workouts. 

Tonight, I did an interval routine where I ran at 5.5 - 5.7 mph for 2 minutes and then walked at 3.3-3.4 mph for two minutes for a total of 40 minutes! To some, this may seem like a lot, and to some it may not seem like much at all. I can tell you that for me, it was the hardest I've pushed myself in a while and it was a major achievement! I was really proud of this since three weeks ago I was barely walking at 3.2 mph and running at 5.0 mph for two minutes each for a mere 20 minutes.

The Challenge!

Needless to say, tonight on the treadmill I came up with a personal challenge for myself....I'm giving myself two months (until April 1st) to be run a mile in 10 minutes or less.....

Back in December I pushed myself to run a mile in barely under 12 minutes, and I was amazed that I could do it. After I did it, my legs were crying, but it still felt amazing.  However, it's time to beat this! Therefore, April 1 will by the day I turn the treadmill up to 6.0 mph and just do it!  Of course, in the meantime I will be training to reach this goal, but it's time to do it!